US Geological Survey and Aramco - photo 1
US Geological Survey and Aramco - photo 2

US Geological Survey and Aramco

Starting price
£ 2 000
Auction dateClassic
09.12.2020 00:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 470277
Lot 92 | US Geological Survey and Aramco
U.S. Geological Survey and Aramco

Arabian Peninsula. 1958

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY and the ARABIAN AMERICAN OIL COMPANY. Arabian Peninsula [in Arabic]. Washington DC: Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Finance, 1958.



First edition of the base map used in all future geological maps of the Arabian peninsula. Under the leadership of King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud (1875-1953), the majority of the Arabian peninsula was unified and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia established in 1932. One of his most pressing concerns was to ascertain what the country's natural resources were in general, and more specifically, its groundwater reserves. Consequently a partnership between the Kingdom and the United States Geological Survey was established. In 1945, the USGS together with Aramco surveyed much of western and central Arabia. Impressed, the Saudis expanded the survey and its objectives to include natural resources such as oil and gas, and added the innovative use of aerial photography and reconnaissance to speed up the process dramatically.



By 1953, the USGS, in conjunction with Aramco, the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Sheikh Abdullah Sulaiman, then Minister of Finance of the Government of Saudi Arabia, formalised their commitment to a co-operative venture to geologically map the entirety of the Arabian peninsula. From the outset is was envisaged to create both Arabic and English versions of the cartography. The information they obtained formed the basis of all subsequent Saudi national development plans. To this day, all modern maps of the Kingdom can trace their roots back to these first publications. This map is the first topographic base map produced from this joint venture.



Large folding chromolithographic wall map, the Arabian peninsula shown with topographic relief, and with water pipelines, oases, oil fields, oil pipelines, ports and harbours, oil wells, natural gas fields, quarries and mines, key to lower left, Saudi Arabia’s northern borders delineated, title to lower-right in Arabian Sea with scale 1:2,000,000, title and all toponyms in Arabic, 1220 x 1395mm.

Place of origin:Saudi Arabia
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2020 – 09.12.2020
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.